Meet June Community Captain of the Month, Jacki!
Jacki Wright was born and raised in Michigan but in 1991, her husband Jack went Active Duty Air Force and they lived all over the country for the next 20 years. In 2016, they moved to WV.
Jacki is active because, “I saw what inactivity was doing to my extended family, and I did not want that lifestyle. I became regularly active when we moved here and found Active SWV and also what all West Virginia has to offer for outdoor activities.”
Jacki became an Active SWV Community Captain because she loves volunteering. She was regularly attending Active SWV activities and thought, “Why not help them out?”
Jacki stays motivated because she loves moving, staying busy, and the social aspect of being a Community Captain. She says it is “good to connect with friends you know and ones you just haven’t met yet.” The importance of movement to help with not just physical well-being but mental well-being is critical as you age. The John Muir saying, “ into the woods I go to lose my mine and find my soul” and the JFK quote, “one person can make a difference, and everyone should try” are her mantras.
Recently, Jacki was awarded the Remarkable Women Award by Nexstar Media. There were 12,000 nominations and 125 winners. Jacki won for Volunteerism. She received a weekend in Nashville to meet with the other Remarkable Women Winners, and $1,000 dollars to be donated to a non-profit. Besides Active SWV, Jacki actively volunteers for six other organizations, including the National Park System where she stays active with Park Gardens and hiking trails.